Borderlands

Borderlands,

A game I've sunk plenty of hours in over the years whilst both loving, yet hating the experience all in fairly equal measure.

It's an enjoyable videogame with a script that has all sorts of puns and who can forget the adorable, dancing CL4PTR4P.

I'm not normally one for self-aware videogames yet there's something about this that's endearing as the game never takes itself too seriously even going as far as to make jokes at its own expense.

The problem is that for every silver lining, there's a cloud attached to it.

Shaun White Skateboarding

I remember, growing up spending countless hours on the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater franchise.

From the free roam aspect of being able to skate how you want in the level, to pulling off ambitious, death defying tricks only to see your character hit the dirt in a manner that would have killed them outright in real life to have attempted something so ridiculous. But then, you see them in real life do these stunts and wonder just how they pulled it off and didn't have to bail out prematurely without serious issues.

Then along comes Shaun White in 2010 with a game, partnered with Ubisoft, trying to capitalise on the capitulation of the THPS franchise. Now, I cannot comment on anything post THPS4 as I have limited exposure, if any, to those games. So I'll stick to what I do best and that's review a game I am playing.

Mortal Kombat (2021) Review

Well...

It's review time again and, this time, I'm looking at a film I've had in my Prime video watch list for some time now; Mortal Kombat (2021).

I've some very strong things to say about this, so I'll save it for after the jump.

Onto the specifics...

The Noise by James Patterson & J.D. Barker

This was a very intriguing read.

Whilst the premise gave very little away, to its credit, the outcome was very, very questionable to say the least.

I'm going to try and review this book as evenly as I can do, although separating it from my belief system will be a challenge. But it's one I'm up to as it's a work of fiction so has to be treated independently from that where possible.

Here we go...

The Noise by James Patterson
& J.D. Barker

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)

 Hey everyone!

Last night I finished a video-game I've been thoroughly enjoying for the past few days; the og Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Given that I've been going backward to fill up my catalogue of video-games on PS3, it makes sense to review my latest capture having bought it last year, yet only played it this, meaning that it will qualify for my 2023 awards I do in December.

So how did I find it...?

Justice League Review

 Hello everyone!

As a fairly new convert to Amazon Prime Video subscription service, I thought I'd kick-off this year with a review of a film I saw over the weekend; Justice League. Now, bear in mind this is not the Zack Snyder cut, but the og release. So if you like my style, stay tuned this year as I aim to restart my reviews I used to enjoy doing so much in the early days of this blog.

Let's go...

2022 Year End Review

Hello everyone!

This has been, probably, the toughest year on record for me.

But I have to stay focused and deliver the year end review I've been accustomed to bring.

Are you ready? Cos here we go...

RV011 - The Wrong Stars by Tim Pratt

For fans of intelligent science fiction, you should enjoy this one.

I couldn't put it down and it's honestly been quite a while since I could say that about a book I am reading. It might not be perfect, but then by whose standards would I compare this perfection?

Instead, it seeks to tell a story of mankind's first contact with aliens, only to usurp the trope, introduces a character midway through the telling of the story by introducing an encounter with a once stranded human being who claims to have been a witness to said first contact. In other words, the first contact that had already taken place was countermanded by an alternate claim to the same thing...

RV010 - Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan

Imagine, for yourself, if death wasn't the end. If losing consciousness for that final time was not the end of your life.

That's what this book asks you to buy into for its narrative and I must say it's quite an enjoyable ride, for the most part, though some parts will be not for those of a sensitive nature...

Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith

 

Straight out of the mind of a very disturbing individual, this book tells the story of children who are sent to Furnace Penitentiary, a prison built under the earth where experiments can be conducted and seemingly gotten away with due to the little consequences.

This book is ideal for a teenager who loves to read and have his, or her, mind twisted up by the graphic violence. Yet for me, it swung for the fence and missed some way. It's not a bad book, I just cannot get behind a story like this where one of the main staples is violence for seeming violence sake.

I didn't really like this one, though have looser standards that standard books due to the teen rating for it. I have more tolerance for this type of fiction because there are some places that this fiction needn't go for the younger generation.

Vienna Blood by Frank Tallis

Being a Victorian-style detective thriller, though not explicitly set in those times, this book instantly caught my eye. I am a huge fan of stories that tell themselves from the point of view of an investigator like Sherlock Holmes or Endeavour Morse. Seeing the crimes from the point of view of these investigators then allows me to see whether the author will show off his knowledge of crime solving methods that are restricted before technology's now widespread usage.

Would I say that there was anything that I don't particularly like about this? Not really because I would say the author was knowledgeable enough to be able to spin a yarn that belongs on a coffee table as some light afternoon reading. It's not too heavy in detail yet manages to weave a complex tale of criminal behaviour that avoids the usual tropes in these types of stories.

After America by John Birmingham

In a world where a mysterious wave has inexplicably wiped out most of the population, what remains are bands of survivors ranging from pirates, to the remnants of a skeletal government.

This is pretty much where this book is coming from, the second in the series by author Birmingham who, until this book, I have never heard of before. It contains the standard fare from your Tom Clancy-types and yet at the same time manages to be different enough to attract my attention in the first place. I had never come across a story that intrigued me enough despite the content not being my initial go-to for reading material.

I wasn't disappointed, however, because the story is good, the writing is solid and, as much as it can do, it steps effortlessly around the tropes that, unfortunately, usually riddle these types of stories.

RV009 - House of Cards by Michael Dobbs

Hello everyone!

As fast as I am starting a book, these days, I'm finishing it such is the lack of quality upon all TV stations.

But this is not a rant, nor is it a rave, but a review that has been around as a TV series for a few years now, House of Cards, starring Kevin Spacey...

RV008 - They Found Atlantis by Dennis Wheatley

 

Hello everyone!

The next review is here now and it's from a rather interesting book I picked up at a charity shop not so long ago called "They Found Atlantis" by Dennis Wheatley. The copy I picked up looks nothing like the image I've chosen for this review, but I could hardly use an image of a blank red book with an elaborate golden trim now, could I?

RV007 - Tommyknockers by Stephen King

Hello everyone!

I hope you are enjoying these reviews as much as I am in putting them together. It has been a long time since I was able to get back into the swing of things as far as reviews go, but now they are here in the form of film & book reviews, I am hoping to have them here to stay.

This week, it's the turn of Stephen King and, arguably, his best work in the form of Tommyknockers...

RV006 - Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

BOOK REVIEW

Hello everyone!

Proving my commitment is still there to turning out the content as best I can, I thought I would take some time to review Vanity Fair. After a fairly recent ITV adaptation of this book, I managed to pick it up at a bargain price from my local Tesco meaning I could see just how close and how faithful the adaptation was.

As always, I'm going to try and adopt a spoiler-free review to make it user friendly for those that are maybe thinking of picking this up but aren't sure if it's worth it.

Let me see if I can clear that up...

RV005 - ROMs Feature - Reliving the Classics

Hello everyone!

I can only apologise for the delay in delivering this content. I haven't been able to make reliable time for the construction of this article. But it's here now.

I want to take a brief look at the world of videogame emulation and the impact it has had on my life...

RV004: Captain Marvel - A Marvel-lous Film!

 

Hello everyone!

I've just finished watching Captain Marvel not so long ago and wanted to rush out a review before I either forget or get sidetracked with other project work I'm currently doing.

This film is the latest outing in the closing stages of Marvel's third phase of movies and is designed, I believe, to lay the final groundwork before we are brought to Avengers: Endgame in the summer which is a cinematic event that will no doubt upset as many comic book fans as it pleases.

I, personally. could care less about the whole idea of a "cinematic universe" because I am just not interested in investing more of my time into following stories from one film to the next with a view to just understand the basic plot. If you cannot sell me on the plot from the get-go, I don't really care...

RV003 - The Forgotten Daughter by Mary Wood

Hello everyone!

I trust that you enjoyed my last review.

The next one is a complete change of pace and of genre as I am often wont to do when I borrow my books from the library. Not only are they in my care, but I always try to pick ones from across the scale and spectrum of fiction.

Slowly, over time, it will begin to paint a picture of the sort of stories that I like to read as I seek to getaway, mentally, from daily life for a while.

Today, I'm going to look at a book I borrowed on the proviso of having totally judged the book by its cover...

RV002 - The Neutronium Alchemist by Peter F. Hamilton

Hello everyone!

I cannot believe it has been almost a year to the date that I've last reviewed something, when I reviewed the sub-standard bluetooth speaker, I envisioned doing plenty more like it. But as is often the case, life got in the way and I drifted away from interest in doing reviews.

Now that I am back, I aim to churn these out at a more regular pace, especially as I'm always borrowing books from the library. What better focus to have, then, than the books that I borrow.

First up is the second book in the Night's Dawn trilogy; The Neutronium Alchemist by Peter F. Hamilton...